Houseboat PilotIn southwest India, one coastal section of Kerala state is laced with islands, lakes, and canals. Called the Backwaters, the area is quiet and peaceful. Families go about their daily lives alongside the water, men fish from small boats, and barges loaded with copra move past. Amidst all this, travelers float along in luxurious houseboats built to resemble traditional rice barges.

Even budget travelers can afford a trip on the public boat from Allepey to Kollam, and most can manage at least one day and night on a private boat, floating like royalty through the backwaters, waited on by a staff that outnumbers the passengers, and sleep in comfort.

I traveled with a new friend, a woman I met at the beach in Varkala. What drew us together? The desire to save money renting a boat to tour the backwaters.

We left Varkala, and after an adventurous and unnecessary leap from a train on my friend’s part, and a couple of taxis, we reached the departure point for the boat to Kollam, Allepey. We were late, and most of the seats on the top of the boat were occupied. We decided to alternate custody of the one empty seat, but ended up spending most of our time on the lower level.

Fishing NetsAs we motored along the wide channel, we saw huge fishing nets suspended from large frames, some submerged in the water, some suspended over the water like huge spiders. Large fishing boats, painted with an eye for protection, plied the waters. At one point we passed a boatyard where new boats were under construction, looking huge and heavy and totally out of place on land.

It’s a long journey, and eventually became repetitious. Naps were involved, and I passed some of the time in a long discussion on India’s future. The Indian man, who was near my own age and on vacation with his wife, was both optimistic and pessimistic. As is true of most conversations like this, we failed to solve any major issues.

As my friend and I arrived we wondered whether our brief, spontaneous naps meant that we would be bored with our planned 24-hour private trip. We’d know tomorrow.

When we checked into our hotel, the staff immediately tried to sell us a trip. It sounded like a fair price, the photograph of the boat looked good, but we had been forewarned to be very cautious and actually see the boat first. So we agreed that we would go to see the boat early in the morning, and only then pay and commit to the trip.

Our HouseboatThe boat was fantastic. Brand new, with a modern bathroom and an air-conditioned bedroom, and absolutely immaculate. We were thrilled. Off we went to sign papers and hand over money. Our departure was delayed a bit, as no food was purchased for the trip until we had signed on the dotted line.

With our bags stored at our hotel, we stashed our daypacks in the bedroom. The center of the boat was covered with a curved wicker roof and walls, designed to mimic a traditional rice boat. The bedroom was toward the back of the long tube made by the roof, with the bath off of that, to the rear. The small cooking area was also in the back.

Not that we would be cooking. We had staff! In fact we had a pilot, a waiter/steward, a cook, and an assistant.

A dining table and chairs sat in the covered area directly against the front wall of the bedroom. Next was a small sitting area with two comfortable chairs and a small cocktail table. A railed area contained a mattress, and was ideal for sunbathing, reading, and sleeping. The pilot rode in the bow.

As soon as we settled into the sitting area, we were offered tea. As we sat there watching the shore flow by, sipping our tea, my English friend summed it all up. “I feel quite posh,” she said.

Food and snacks were available, and the meals were excellent. We alternated between watching the scenery, daydreaming, reading, eating and drinking. We also napped.

Fishing BoatOur one stop along the way was to visit the Champakulam Boat Club to inspect the 110-foot long snake boats that participate in the annual Champakulam Moolam Boat Race.

At the end of the day we anchored at the side of a lake. We could see another houseboat, but the area was silent and serene. The pilot and the assistant departed, leaving us with a minimal crew of two. We watched the sun set, ate dinner, and eventually went to sleep.

In the morning we began the slow journey back to Kollam. The trip lasted about twenty hours, a few hours longer than scheduled, but we were back in time for lunch.

We had seen several other boats go by, and had spent some time critiquing them. We were especially happy with ours. Some had too much lattice work surrounding the sitting area, restricting the view. Some didn’t seem to have a place to sunbathe. The larger boats are two stories high, and to us looked out of proportion to the canals and the low-lying land.

Later, after talking to people who had gathered a larger group and rented one of the two-story boats, we decided we had had a much better experience because we were on a smaller boat. Many of the people who took two-story boats complained that they didn’t see any of the day-to-day life of the people who live near the water. They were surprised that we had seen people bathing, doing their laundry, taking their children for a swim, fishing, and most horrifyingly, washing dishes in the river. I asked them where they had spent their time. “Up on the top deck,” was their reply. They had been too far removed from the water to really observe what was going on. From that height the only way to see river life would have been to hang over the railing.

If you decide to take an overnight trip on Kerala’s backwaters, see the boat first, be clear about the number of hours you will be out and what is included, and don’t be so stingy that you end up on a dumpy boat. Then sit back and enjoy.

Credits:

Article written by Cindy

Travellers Kerala and Southern India, 2nd (Travellers - Thomas Cook) author: Thomas Cook Publishing asin: 1841576972

Flavours of Kerala author: Hena Jacob,Salim Pushpanath asin: 8188000078